


Wyoming

by amusawale



Series: War of the Winchesters [3]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Conspiracies, M/M, Saving the World, Spells & Enchantments, rapprochement, repair a mistake
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-06
Updated: 2017-06-07
Packaged: 2018-09-06 22:49:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 14,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8772478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amusawale/pseuds/amusawale
Summary: First Sam and Dean were getting a divorce. But then Sam employed every trick in the book to get Dean back. Dean was playing a little hard to get but finally Sam found something that worked...Repairing the damage he did to their original earth. Possibly he can't bring back the whole of Texas but maybe he can at least release them from the power of the witches.Dean is on board to help. As is Missouri Moseley and the witch, Vincent Griffith.





	1. Prologue

Sam turned in the bed, lifting his head and resting it on his palm as he watched his brother sleep. 

Last night had gotten a little intense.

First there was all that talk about Dean possibly dying. As if Sam would ever let him. What was the use of him being new and improved if he couldn't save the most important thing in his life? He'd left his will with a probate lawyer. It left their entire fortune to Jasmine and Jupiter and appointed administrators to run the estate in case they didn't make it. He hoped that Genevieve would stay on with them, nurture them, but he wasn't counting on it. He'd left detailed instructions on what he expected for their upbringing and welfare.

Sam might be the distant parent but he was also the one who paid attention to detail. That's why he was a lawyer.

However, he had every intention of going home with his husband, to their children.

* * *

Sam's eyes traveled over his brother's body, tracing the ridges and valleys with his eyes, savoring every inch of that delicious flesh. He wanted to touch...but Dean was such a light sleeper. There was no way he wouldn't wake up if Sam tried to touch him.

The muscles on his brother's arms spoke to him though. His hand reached out, stopping an inch from actual flesh and tracing the length of his brother's arms.

"Like what you see?" Dean said eyes still closed.

Sam started and then laughed, "Yeah, actually I do", he said hoarsely before clearing his throat.

Dean gave that half smile that made Sam's heart stop. The fact that Dean's eyes were still closed didn't dim the smugness of his smile even a little bit. Sam leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on the freckles of Dean's shoulder. His brother shuddered a little and moved his shoulder up, nearer to Sam's mouth.

Sam leaned down to kiss him again, sticking out his tongue to lick a stripe along Dean's shoulder blade. This time, Dean's shudder was full bodied.

"Don't stop", he whispered.

Sam leaned forward, covering Dean's body with his own and kissing every bit of skin he could reach along Dean's back.

"Turn around" he said into Dean's ear. His brother moaned, in agreement or arousal, Sam didn't know. All he cared about was that Dean did as he said. His brother twisted around under him, eyes still closed allowing him to press his mouth against Dean's neck, where his pulse was going like a Kenyan long distance runner. Fast, real fast, and steady.

"Baby", Sam whispered worrying Dean's skin as his brother groaned beneath him. His hands traced his brother's silhouette, landing on the rounded cheeks of his ass and squeezing hard. His body lurched forward even as he did it, pressing down hard into his brother.

"Dean" he groaned, "Need you."

"I know", Dean replied spreading his legs and then winding them around Sam's waist so he could pull his brother even closer. As their cocks touched he ground up even more, causing their dicks to rub against each other. It was Sam's turn full body shudder, thrusting against his brother uncontrollably.

" _Dean_ " he cried fingers frantically seeking Dean's hole, needing entry. Dean arched upward, making it easier for Sam to penetrate his hole. Sam's tongue was stroking Dean's tonsils steadily. So deep inside Dean's mouth that he could almost feel his own fingers against his tongue. He took his fingers out of his brother's ass and thrust them into his own mouth, sucking hard. Then they were back in Dean's hole, expanding it, making it ready for an appendage much thicker.

He couldn't _wait_ to get it in there.

"Dean" he said again and his brother popped his butt out in silent invitation, "I can't...I won't.." Sam stammered.

"Yes I know, go on. _Get in there_!"

Sam didn't have to be told twice. He quickly replaced his fingers with his penis, pushing in slowly so as not to hurt his brother. It was torture and he felt ready to blow at any minute. It didn't help when Dean flexed his ass muscles, gently massaging his dick and causing his mind to shut down.

"Dean please", he begged, trying valiantly not to come. Dean dropped his shoulders, changing the angle and widening his hole. At the same time he pushed his ass back on Sam. 

He tried.

He really did.

But he lost complete control, body shaking and shuddering, mouth open, hands flailing as he ejaculated into Dean.

His cheeks were red; with embarrassment at his premature ejaculation or with exertion, Dean couldn't tell. Sam didn't give him much time to think. He picked Dean up, spun him around and swallowed his dick in one smooth move.

"Aa-ooh" Dean said almost swallowing his tongue.

He didn't bother to withhold his reactions. Bucking into Sam's mouth he came down his throat.

He was just coming down from the post coital high when he realized someone was knocking at the door.


	2. My Name Is...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unexpected visitor.

Dean got the gun from his duffel and _then_ pulled on his jeans. He went to the door, listening carefully as Sam wolfed out behind him.

"Who is it?" he said ear to the door.

"Benny." a voice said through the door.

Dean frowned and behind him, Sam growled. The Benny of this dimension had not saved Dean from purgatory. They did not speak, or know each other. So...who the fuck?

"Dean, it's me. Open the door," Benny said in his unmistakable southern accent. 

Dean reached for the door knob.

"Don't" Sam growled.

Dean hesitated but then shook his head and opened the door, gun at Benny's eye level.

"Hey Benny. How you doing? Fancy meeting you here."

"Yeah. Fancy that. You gonna move that gun out my face or...?"

Dean hesitated and then lowered the gun, stepping aside for Benny to step in. He just continued to stand in the doorway though, looking at Dean expectantly.

"What?" Dean asked.

"Invite me in."

Dean laughed and suddenly Sam was at his side.

"What are you doing here Benny? You're dead and buried." he said, eyes tawny yellow and teeth gleaming.

"Down boy. I'm here with a message you might want to hear."

"Are you...my Benny?" Dean asked.

"If you mean am I from this world, the answer is yes and no." he raised his hand forestalling Dean's irritable reply, "There's only one purgatory; but many doors open out of it to many worlds."

"So it _is_ you."

"Yeah Dean. It's me."

Dean's smile bloomed slowly even as Sam's face got darker. Dean leaned toward Benny pulling him in.

"Come in here" he said as he enveloped the vampire in his arms, thumping him on the back, "It's good to see you old friend."

"Good to see you too Dean" Benny replied softly.

Sam growled.

 


	3. A Revelation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unexpected visitor with a message.

"Sam stop pacing. Come sit down" Dean says from where he's seated on his bed. Benny's on the chair by the window which is at least...ten paces away from Dean. Still, it's too close. Sam can feel his fangs wanting to descend. Maybe see what vampire tastes like.

Maybe it's the werewolf in him. Or the possessive bastard. Sam's money is on the latter.

He stomps over to Dean and sits so close there is literally no space between them. His eyes narrow as he glares at Benny.

"So what is this message you have for us?"

Benny sighed, "The message is actually for Dean. In fact I'd appreciate it if you le-"

Sam was growling so hard and loud the rest of Benny's sentence could not be heard. Dean reached out and put a hand on top of his.

"Sam? I'm gonna need you to calm down right now." he said in a hard voice.

Sam growled.

"Down boy" Dean said.

Sam turned the glare on his brother, snapping half playfully at him.

"Good boy" Dean said with a cocky grin but his hand stayed tight around Sam's wrist.

"Benny, Sam's not leaving. Anything you say to me blah blah. Go on, what's the message."

"You gotta stop."

"What?"

"You gotta stop. Trying to undo what you did. The repercussions of undoing it would be cosmic. The universe cannot afford for it to happen just so you can clear your conscience." He was looking at Dean even though it seemed his words were aimed at Sam.

"Who sent you?" Sam asked.

Benny sighed, "Purgatory is full of supernatural creatures including witches, warlocks, seelies, the Fae folk, banshees, various gods; some of whom have been around longer than you can imagine. They have found ways to travel between this world and others. They have done the research, found the mechanisms of how it all works. They know how the witches were able to open that portal, and what it would take to reverse it. They tell us that this isn't the first attempt at a universe. Worlds have been destroyed before by just such methods as you seek to discover. Stop now unless you want to destroy everything you have built."

Dean and Sam just stared at him.

"I'm going to need an answer from you. They need to know what you will do."

"What about the ancestors who sent Vincent to us? How do they fit in?"

Benny grinned wryly, "Vincent is an agent of saboteurs and disrupters. It was they that drove Missouri mad. They revel in chaos and destruction. You must get away from him. Get Missouri away from him."

"Kill him?" Sam asked.

Benny just looked at him....

"If you can" he said at last.

Benny stood up abruptly and smiled at Dean, "It was good to see you my friend" he said.

Dean took a step toward him but Sam pulled him back, "You too" he said with a wry smile.

Benny disappeared.


	4. Chapter 4

"Sit down Sam" Dean said without looking up.

"Don't you tell me what to do!" Sam growled as he continued pacing.

"I'm not. Really. But I can't think with you sucking all the positive energy from the room."

Sam stopped abruptly at that, staring at his big brother like he'd never seen him, "Positive energy? Since when did you go all new agey?"

"Shut up." Dean said without any heat, "You going to sit down or not?"

Sam sat.

"Okay so...what's the plan?" he asked.

"Nothing changes. We make like we're going to Wyoming. Meanwhile we try to figure out how to kill the witch."

"Still got some of that witch killing stuff from the thing with that guy with the dog familiar....whatisname. We could use that."

"I don't know if it'll work. We gotta be subtle about this."

"Subtle....never thought I'd hear that word come out of Dean Winchester's mouth."

"You going to police my vocabulary or be useful?" Dean asked irritably.

"Police you-" Sam began to say with a grin before he caught sight of Dean's face, "fine okay. Ummm, we gotta come up with an excuse or a way to spirit Missouri away first. Clearly she's crucial to this guy's plan."

"Yeah. Where could we send her though?"

Sam thought hard, "To the fake Missouri!" he cried, "If anyone doesn't want the spell reversed it's them."

"Them being...?"

"The witches who sent us here."  
"Who have what to do with the fake Missouri?"

"Er....well, she's one of them. Didn't I tell you that?"

"No....you must have neglected to mention it" Dean gritted out.

"Sorry. Honest mistake."

"So you got a way to get in touch with this witch?"

Sam fished out his phone and brandished it at Dean, "Text?" he said.

Dean sighed, "Fine. Get in touch with her, meanwhile we act like everything's normal."

"Okay" Sam said fiddling with his phone, "That includes having sex right?" he asked as he hit at buttons.

Dean rolled his eyes and got up, "I'm gonna go get us some supper. Stay put." he said.

Sam glanced up at him with a shrug, "Not going anywhere Dean."

 


	5. Vincent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vincent talks to the boys.

Dean ran into Vincent outside, leaning against the Impala. He stopped short, staring at the other man before he walked around him and opened the door.

"Dean" Vincent said.

"Yah" Dean replied still seemingly preoccupied with getting in his car.

"We need to talk."

"About?"

"About what's gonna happen next."

"Can I go get something to eat first?"

Vincent laughed derisively, "You and food. Do you ever think about anything else?"

"Sure. Sometimes I think about sex."

"You know sometimes I wonder at this 'fearsome' reputation you have..."

Dean showed him all of his teeth in a fake smile, "You keep right on wondering" he said, "I gotta go get some food."

* * *

 

Sam was on his laptop, looking up everything he could on Vincent Griffiths. He had gotten in touch with his assistant Missouri and asked for her help. She had agreed to take the real Missouri but she needed time to devise a spell that would hide her from the ancestors.

"The best thing would have been to leave her at Eichen but they know about that place now. They'd find a way to get her out again." she'd said.

"So is there nowhere else?"

"There are places the ancestors can't access. But to get her there, she would need to be cloaked so she can't be followed. That will require a circle. I need time."

"How much time?" 

"As much as you can give me."

So Sam was on his laptop, searching for Vincent Griffiths, looking for weaknesses...something that would give them an edge. So far he hadn't come up with much. His digital footprint was extremely sanitized. Even the witch chat rooms didn't really give him any dirt.

There was a knock on the door and Sam stood up, closing his laptop.

"Are you hands too fu-" he began to say as he opened the door, expecting Dean. What he got was Vincent instead.

"Sam. Can we talk?" Vincent asked.

Sam hesitated but then stepped aside, "Sure. Come in."

Vincent stepped in the room, looking around curiously, "So, you and Dean, you're reconciled?" he asked eyes on the single King size bed.

Sam just shrugged.

"That's good. You need someone you can rely on."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sam practically growled.

Vincent lifted his hands in mock surrender, "Hey, I didn't mean anything by it. Just saying it's good to have someone at your back you can trust."

"Yeah. Trust is important" Sam said even as he recognised the irony of his words.

Vincent nodded, "So...what's the plan?" he asked.

Sam shrugged, "Dean makes plans. I follow them" he said.

Vincent nodded wryly, "A system" he said.

"Yeah." Sam said staring at Vincent and wondering what the warlock was digging for. Did he know about Benny's warning? How to find out without tipping him off?

"Do you have any suggestions?" he asked.

Vincent shrugged, "I have a few ideas." he said.

"Well...we should probably wait for Dean to come back and have Missouri with us as well before we discuss them."

"Or we could brainstorm."

Sam shrugged, "Like I said, not my department."

Vincent grinned, "Come on Sam, everyone knows you're the brains of this operation."

Sam just stared at him.

He remembered that Missouri could read minds.

Was Vincent the same?

Sam threw up a mental barrier, thinking 'Dean' over and over again to disguise his thoughts, filling his head with images of his brother in various states of undress.  If Vincent could read his mind he would be getting quite a show. The warlock's face showed no change but that wasn't enough evidence for Sam. He pondered on whether he should make the images more explicit; perhaps that time he'd sucked Dean's dick in the middle of clearing out a haunted house. That had been epic.

Or the time he'd bent Dean over in his office, fucking him with the door half open and the possibility of anyone walking in at any minute. He, shocked the entire time that Dean was into it. Shocked and turned on and so so in love. 

Suddenly he really missed Dean.

He missed the Dean and Sam they'd been. 

Hopefully could be again.

"I think we need to wait for the others" he said.

Vincent shrugged, "It's your party" he said turning toward the door, "I'll be in my room if you change your mind."

Vincent closed the door behind him.

"Yeah. don't hold your breath" Sam murmured.


	6. Chapter 6

"Vincent was here" Sam said as soon as Dean cleared the doorway.

"Yeah, he cornered me in the parking lot. You think he knows?" he asked as he set down the packs of fast food.

"I don't know. I didn't get anything from him."

Dean stilled, giving Sam the stink eye, "What do you mean you didn't 'get' anything from him? What? You read minds now?"

Sam sighed, "Of course I don't read mind Dean. Doesn't mean I can't read people. Plus sometimes my wolf can smell when someone's lying or uncomfortable about something....or aroused."

Dean looked away, "And Vincent? Was he lying or aroused?"

"Like I said, I didn't get anything from him."

"Yeah well, he's a warlock, he probably knows how to cloak himself pretty well."

"Yeah..."

There was a small uncomfortable silence.

"So...what did you bring?"

"Chicken salad and fries for you. Burger and fries for me."

"Oh good." Sam said going to rifle the brown paper bags, "Let's eat."

Dean continued to stand by the door, "I was thinking maybe we invite Missouri to eat with us?"

"Yeah, good idea. Did you bring enough to share?"

Dean sighed, "Course I did. What? You don't think I can think ahead?"

Sam just ignored that and went to open the door, "I'll go bring her. Stay here."

Dean nodded once, and then proceeded to arrange the styrofoam containers. He'd brought enough for _normal_ eight people at least because Sam's metabolism was through the roof even if he did not acknowledge it and he had a feeling Vincent would make sure to invite himself. He had been staying pretty close to Missouri ever since they'd rescued her and now they knew why, he guessed. He picked up his phone, staring wistfully at the picture of Jupiter and Jasmine. He wanted to see them so bad.

He wanted to go home.

The thought occurred to him that Sam had promised him that he would go home. Which meant that Sam was willing to do _whatever it took_ to get them there. 

That was a bad thing.

But Dean couldn't bring himself to care.

Home.

His kids.

His brother.

He wanted it all back; fuck trying to save the world. This time he would save his family.

Well...

Maybe he usually tried to save his family but this time he wasn't sweating the consequences.

He wanted to see his kids grow up.

He knew that if he could just get Sam home, they could fix whatever was broken.

The door opened and Missouri stepped in, closely followed by Sam. Dean looked behind him to see if Vincent was with.

The doorway was empty.

Dean smiled.

"Let's eat" he said.


	7. Making Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the boys attempt nonverbal communication

Sam thought at Missouri as hard as he could.

_Missouri, can Vincent Griffith read minds?_

She glanced up at him, and then back down at her plate but didn’t answer.

 _“Missouri!”_ Sam called as hard as he could.

She continued to eat.

Sam glanced at Dean but he was also staring at Missouri intently. They’d probably had the same idea and were both trying to get her to read their minds. Maybe she couldn’t anymore. Or their messages were cancelling each other ou-

“Can I have a pen and paper?” She suddenly said startling them both.

“Er yeah” Dean said and stood up to get the hotel pad by the bedside table and a pen from Sam’s bag. He deposited both in front of the psychic and she scribbled something at once.

**Stop thinking so loud!!**

Sam reared back in surprise and exchanged glances with Dean who looked rueful.

 _‘You’re in danger Missouri. We’re in danger’_ Sam thought, hopefully less loudly.

**I know**

Sam and Dean looked at the words then back at Missouri. She put a finger to her lips then pointed above them. They looked up and then back at Missouri. That’s when they noticed she was shielding the words on the page. She took the paper deliberately, tore it up and dropped the pieces in Sam’s hot coffee.

He opened his mouth to protest and then closed it again. Missouri looked from one to the other, face grim then resumed eating her food.

The boys copied her for lack of better ideas.

After dinner, Missouri stood and walked to the door. She placed her hand on the door knob and then turned to face them, “I expect you have a good plan” she said, eyes narrowed.

Dean sighed but Sam just nodded, “Yes ma’am. We will” he said.

She nodded her head once then went off to her room. Sam looked at Dean and opened his mouth to say…he wasn’t sure what. But his brother shook his head once, picked up the plates and threw them in the bin.

“Fancy some dirty sex?” he asked as he turned back to look at Sam. Sam’s eyebrows almost disappeared in his hair but he stood up right quick.

“Do you need to ask?” he said even knowing that his brother was up to something other than a low down dirty good time.

Dean looked him up and down, “Seems like ages since I saw you naked. You wanna get naked for me?” his voice was low and throaty and Sam was hard as rocks instantly. He reached for his shirt and pulled it off, immediately followed by his t-shirt, and then his vest. He was an Armani suit guy usually but apparently get him on the road with his brother and he reverted to a three layer, checked shirt wearing, old jean clad red neck. It did not fail to bemuse him.

He pulled off his jeans and stood in front of Dean in his boxers. His brother just looked, seemingly enjoying the view.

“You’re one sexy man Sam Winchester” he said startling Sam quite a bit. Dean had never been one to dish out compliments. They knew how they felt about each other.

“Thank you?”

“I mean…those hands…when I think about what those hands can do…” Dean shook his head as if marveling, as his eyes travelled from Sam’s hand, to Sam’s bag, where his arsenal was. His eyes flicked up to look into Sam’s, serious and deadly for a moment before he reverted to a porn hub entry growling deep in his throat.

Sam lifted said hands and ran them down his long hard body, sparing a moment to check on his dick, ensuring it hadn’t fallen off for lack of attention.

“Mmmm, beautiful Sam. When I think about what those hands can do…” he stepped forward still fully clothed, picked up Sam’s hands and put them round his neck. His eyes were hot with lust yet…behind that…they were cold and dead and teeming with messages. He pressed his fingers around Sam’s and squeezed.

“Bet with that wolf strength you could break my neck if you wanted to.”

“I would never..” the protest was automatic even though Sam knew what Dean was saying.

“I know. I know you wouldn’t” Dean said closing the distance between them to take Sam’s lower lip between his teeth and…suck.

“Do anything for me wouldn’t you?” he said and Sam nodded mutely as his lip was sucked into Dean’s mouth, both of Dean’s hands massaging his ass.

“Kill for me. Die for me.” Dean continued as Sam wondered how he could talk with everything else he was doing.

“Kill for you” Sam repeated with conviction before he took Dean’s mouth in his and swallowed his tongue down.

Later on, with his dick deep in Sam’s ass, Dean whispered in his ear, “We’ll start with breaking his neck, see what happens” he said as he thrust into his brother.

“Hnnnnjhjgggg” his brother agreed arching backward into Dean’s touch.


	8. Council

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A plan is hatched.

The black cloud had found them.

Sam looked out the window the next morning and gave a shout of startlement.

“Fuck!” he said.

Dean was up with a weapon in his hands before he’d even properly registered the sound.

“Wha..?” he asked blinking at Sam, silver gun raised.

Sam smiled, “Well, at least we know your reflexes are still fast old man” he said.

“Sam I swear to _God._ ” Dean growled.

Sam pointed out the window, at the black cloud circling just outside the perimeter of the compound.  Dean came to stand by him, staring out at the cloud too. They stood in silence, just watching.

“What are we supposed to deal with first?” Sam asked with a sigh.

“Devil’s traps all over the car Sam. They can’t get us in here, or in there. So…the other thing is probably more clear and present danger.”

“I don’t think they’ll try anything until we get there. If they’re planning to that is. They need us.”

“They don’t need _us._ They need Missouri.”

“We gotta get her away man.”

“We gotta fix all of this.”

“Tell me how Dean. Tell me what we’re going to do.”

“You’ll hulk out and take them all. I’ll sweep up any stragglers with the knife.”

“Just that easy?” Sam said with a snort.

“Not easy Sam. Not at all. But that’s the plan we got.”

Sam sighed and then nodded his head, “Well alright then.”

∞

They sat in a circle, Sam and Dean, Missouri and Vincent.

“We need to know what comes next” Dean said directing his comment to Vincent.

Vincent looked at Missouri, “Isn’t this your plan?” he asked.

She kept her eyes forward, looking at no one, “The trap will take care of the demons” she said quietly.

“The iron railway was broken, you know that right?”

“Broken in yo’ world Sam, not this one.”

Sam leaned back in his seat in surprise, “Huh” he said, “I hadn’t thought of that.”

“Well, some good news” Dean said, “Good.”

“And once we trap the demons, then what? We still need to deal with what we’re here for right? Undoing what you did?” Vincent said.

There was a small silence.

“How would we do that?” Dean asked at last.

“The ancestors say there’s a spell…it turns back time” Vincent said.

“Oh really? Like, make it like…all of this never happened?” Dean asked.

“Basically.” Vincent said with a nod.

“And you need Missouri for this?” Dean asked.

“Yes, she’s the one who has the psychic energy we need.” Vincent said.

“And what happens to our lives? To Jasmine and Jupiter?” Sam asked much to Dean’s surprise.

Vincent smiled, shaking his head, “You can’t kill what didn’t exist in the first place” he said.

There was a deep continuous growling in the room, and it too a moment for Dean to realize that it was Sam. He reached out, and covered his brother’s hand with his.

“So we just…go back? To our world? To before the trials?”

“Probably to the point where you were when you left.” Vincent said.

Dean nodded, “I see.” He exchanged glances with Sam, who was still emitting angry sounds, if at a lower tone.

“We’ll have to think about that” Dean said.

Vincent leaned toward them, face grim “The time for thinking is past, Sam and Dean Winchester. You must pay your debts.”


	9. GRrr

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get hairy.

Sam and Dean exchanged quick glances and then looked away from each other.

"What do you mean by that?" Sam demanded.

Vincent fixed him with a look, "You know what I mean Sam Winchester. Don't play dumb now."

"No. I actually don't know what you mean Vincent Griffiths. What debts do we have?"

Vincent laughed, "Oh I don't know....disrupting the natural order for one? Messing with life and death? Killing an _entire state_ of people" the last he said with a glare in Sam's direction. Sam returned his look with interest. His teeth and nails began to elongate.

He stood up.

"Okay, how about I start with you, you sanctimonious little lying piece of-" He said looming over Vincent.

"Sam" Dean cut him off, "Sit down."

"Yeah Sam. Listen to your brother. Or is it your husband? You incestuous hypocritical-" Vincent said.

"Enough!" Missouri roared making them all jump, "This is not helping anyone in any way. So save your insults for playtime boys. We have to think how to get the demons into the Key of Solomon so that Dean can exorcise them."

She was looking at Sam as she said it.

He looked back at her with eyebrows raised, "You got something to say to me?" he asked still feeling hyper aggressive.

"You can control demons can't you?" she asked matter of factly.

Sam opened his mouth to deny it then remembered that he had already confessed to Dean, "Er, maybe." he said cautiously flicking his eyes in Dean's direction before looking back at Missouri.

"Good." She turned to Dean, "You will summon a demon so that Sam can drain it of blood. I suspect he'll need all of it to control that horde behind us."

Dean tensed and Sam shot to his feet coming to stand between Missouri and Dean as though that would prevent his brother from hearing what she was saying.

"Dean doesn't have to be invo-" he began to protest.

"I'm already involved Sam." Dean said coming to stand next to him, "Come on, let's go."

"Where?" Sam asked. 

"You and Vincent will stand guard while I do the spell. We have to go outside the inn. We can't summon a demon here." he said.

Sam shot a suspicious glance at Vincent, "We don't need _him_. I can protect you."

"Oh yeah? You can do magic now?" Dean asked as if inquiring minds just wanted to know.

Sam took a breath but then blew it out again.

"Yeah. That's what I thought" Dean said and then turned to Vincent, "You ready?" he asked. 

Vincent simply nodded.

"Good then. Let's do this."

 


	10. Exorcimus Te

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An excorcism

Dean wondered for a moment why they still kept summoning ingredients in the back of his truck.

Then he remembered that yes, he was still a hunter, which meant that sometimes, he might have to speak to demons. Not like he had the king of hell on speed dial or anything...

He collected the ingredients, Sam breathing down his back while Vincent kept an eye on the cloud. He didn't know what to think, or what to do about their dilemma. He wasn't even comfortable _thinking_ things because he remembered Vincent offering to read his mind in the car. Was he doing it right now? Would he be able to tell? Maybe if he thought something extremely funny and Vincent laughed...then he would know.

His glance flicked to the witch and then back at the metal box he was using to gather ingredients.

"Sam? You got a picture of me anywhere close?" he asked.

Sam fished out his wallet and extracted a photo from the flap, "I want it back" he growled.

"Yeah yeah" Dean said under his breath. He could act irritable even if he couldn't stop the warmth spreading in his chest at his brother's words. He - mostly - felt lucky that someone in this world loved him as much as Sam did. 

Mostly.

When Sam wasn't making bad decisions because of it.

"Okay then. Let's do this." he said and took the five steps that took him outside the circle of protection and right into the centre of a crossroads. He bent down as Vincent did his thing, keeping the cloud back and dug a hole, buried his box.

He said the words of summoning and then waited anxiously. He did not know how long Vincent could hold off the demons and all he had on him was the demon killing knife of the Kurds and a bottle of Holy Water. 

"Who summons me here?" a voice said from behind him, startling him and making him jump. He closed his eyes so as not to express his irritation in more physical ways and turned around slowly.

"Oh, Dean Winchester. To what do I owe the honor?" the demon was a tall willowy blonde, looking eerily like Taylor Swift.

Dean gaped at her.

"Well? I don't have all day." she said snapping her fingers impatiently, "I have a new relationship to flaunt."

Dean opened his mouth but no words came out.

He felt Sam reach into is pocket and jumped with surprise. Then his brother was in front of the demon, slashing at her neck. He heard her scream as Sam leaned in, teeth elongating. Then he was sucking away at her as the demon stood frozen.

Dean leapt forward, dragging both Sam and the demon he was rapidly draining backwards, toward the salt barrier. He didn't know if the demon could pass but Sam certainly could. They could not afford to stand outside the circle and wait for Sam to be done.

Sam let himself be propelled, sucking at Taylor the whole time like a caricature of a vampire. Somewhere inside him, Dean was horrified, but he was also worried that the cloud of demons would break through whatever spell Vincent was doing and attack his brother before he had the juice to control them.

Sam pushed the demon away from him, breathing hard. The body fell awkwardly, looking extraordinarily pale. The eyes were open and staring. Whatever had lived in there was gone, and the body was dead. Dean looked away.

Sam raised his hands, and roared.

Suddenly the cloud of demons stopped pummelling away at what looked like empty air and began to whirl around like a whirlwind. Sam clapped his hands together and the cloud just dropped out of the sky like whatever engine had been running it had died. 

"Say the exorcism" Sam said, his voice much deeper and rougher, closer to a growl than his usual voice.

"What? Now? Will it work? What about-" Dean asked.

"I'm holding them" Sam interrupted "SAY THE EXORCISM!"

Dean leapt forward like he'd been prodded with a cattle prod and began to say it, "Excorcimus te..."

There was a long wail in the air as he chanted as if in protest of the words and the flames began to lick at the black edges of the cloud, turning it a beautiful rose gold. It was like the exorcism was bringing hell on earth; setting demons on fire.

Dean watched fascinated even as the words of the exorcism fell from his lips. Sam kept his hands joined, raised above his head as if holding the demons down for him. 

Dean began to sweat.

It was getting really warm.

The flames were spreading, replacing black with rose gold at every turn, and the keening wind was rising, getting louder and louder. Dean had to cover his ears even as he continued to chant, wondering if his eardrums would be able to take much more. He took a step back, away from the heat but...Sam. 

Sam was right there.

Too close to the gathering flames.

Dean wanted to pull him back but he didn't want to distract him.

He completed the exorcism and felt every muscle in his body relax as if they'd been straining at his words. There was an explosion and everything went black.


	11. Of Explosions and Aftermaths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Huh?

There was a crater sized hole where the explosion took place. Dean's ears were ringing but he was miraculously otherwise unhurt. He had leapt on Sam when the world went black, tackling him to the ground and covering him with his body. He could feel Sam growling beneath him, struggling to reverse their positions but thirty nine years of habit would not be denied. He pressed downward, resisting all of Sam's attempts to get up...until the smoke cleared.

Then his brother was able to throw him off, standing up in a motion no pure human could ever have managed and glaring down at Dean with golden eyes. He looked so much like Azazel in that moment that Dean quailed. Until he noticed the elongated teeth, the ears pinpointed, not so much like a wolf as a bat and the curious webbing between Sam's claws.

He truly was a chimera.

A miracle of engineering.

And all that engineering was currently mad as hell at Dean.

"What was that?" Sam growled.

Dean got slowly to his feet, straightening his body as he breathed hard, chest heaving with exertion. He could hear maybe one word in three of whatever his brother was currently growling at him. He didn't need to hear the spiel though, to know what it was about.

"I'm bigger than you, stronger than you, I'm not your baby brother anymore, you don't need to protect me...blah blah blah."

Nobody cares Sam.

He swayed slightly feeling dizzy and instantly the glaring angry face his brother had been sporting was wiped away like it had never existed and he was hurrying forward, taking Dean in his arms like some damsel in distress.

Suddenly Dean had a lot more sympathy for Sam's previous rant.

"Put me down Sam" he tried to say but suspected it came out something like, "Pusldlhemes" his tongue was so heavy. He closed his eyes.

Just for a moment.

When he woke up he was lying on a surface, it was soft, comfortable and his brother was looming over him like a tree. Except he'd never seen a tree look so anxious.

"Heya Sam" he said and tried to sit up.

" _Heya Sam?_!?" His brother repeated not sounding at all pleased, "Is that all you have to say after scaring me half to death?"

Dean smirked, "Always so dramatic" he murmured as he struggled to straighten up, "I could really use a hand here" he said at last when Sam didn't lift a finger to help, just watched him with narrowed eyes.

"Oh you would?" Sam said, rather rudely if you asked Dean, "And where the fuck do you think you're going?"

Dean sighed. 

His brother and his various animal parts were in a mood.

Probably going into heat or something else hormonal.

Not that Dean would say that aloud.

He'd been married long enough to know a huge mistake when he thought one.

"I would like to sit up and maybe find out what happened if you don't mind Samantha" he said instead.

Sam just snorted, then stood up and left the room. 

Dean watched him walk out in disbelief.

Before he could think of another strategy to get out of bed, his brother was back, accompanied by some strange man.

"Uh..?" Dean asked.

"This is doctor Wilson. He's gonna check you out and see if you're well enough to sit up."

Dean just looked at his brother. This seriously was above and beyond...

He endured the doctor's examination in silence, all the time eyeing his brother, hoping he was conveying the various ways that Sam would pay for this in due time. Sam just looked impassively back.

"Well, Mr. Winchester, your husband has a concussion. He really should be in a hospital admitted overnight-"

Dean made a noise that was clearly and strongly in disagreement with this sentiment.

"- or else he needs to be observed overnight to make sure that nothing worse happens." the doctor finished.

"I'll watch him" Sam said as Dean narrowed his eyes at him.

The doctor nodded, reaching his bag for a prescription pad and writing something down, "You should also get these for him to take. He took quite a blow to the head; he'll probably suffer pain for a few days."

Dean snorted contemptuously.

"Thank you doc" Sam said. 

Doctor Wilson nodded and left.

"Since when do we get doctors to look us over Sam?" Dean sniped.

"Since you started swooning in my arms like the heroine in some third rate novel" Sam sniped right back.

"Fuck you Sam" Dean said turning away from him and pulling his blankets up.

"I would but you have concussion" Sam said, "Now scoot over."

Dean ignored him but was not surprised to feel himself being gently moved so that Sam could fit himself behind him. They lay in silence for a while.

"What happened to the witch and the psychic?" Dean asked at last, sacrificing the silent treatment he'd been planning on, on the altar of information.

Sam sniggered, "That sounds like a teen scifi novel" he said.

Dean said nothing and Sam sighed.

"They're fine. They escaped the blast with no injuries. Last I saw them, Vincent was escorting Missouri to her room."

"He wants to use her for something."

"I know Dean."

"We have to protect her."

"We will Dean. Now go to sleep."


	12. Escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean wakes up to a surprise twist.

"Dean"  A familiar voice said very close to his ear, startling him into wakefulness. He jerked up, hitting his head against a hard surface.

"Ow" the same voice said and Dean turned around to see Missouri holding her nose, eyes closed in pain.

"Oh my God, I am sooo sorry" Dean whispered in horror.

Missouri shook her head in dismissal.

"We have to go Dean. Sam can only distract Vincent for so long."

Dean straightened up, coming instantly alert, "Go where?" he asked.

Missouri narrowed her eyes at him, "Sam said you're supposed to take me to somebody who stole my name. A witch."

Dean's confusion cleared, "He did? Where is he?"

"Distracting Vincent. Now we going or what?"

Dean hesitated. He did not want to leave Sam. He also recognized that this was Sam's attempt to get him, and Missouri, out of danger. He wanted to refuse, to argue, but he also recognized that Sam was right. This was a prime opportunity to get Missouri away. 

And Sam could look after himself. Dean knew that.

But still...

"Dean!" Missouri said sharply.

"Okay okay, I'm coming." Dean said pushing back the blanket and getting up. He pulled his jeans on and grabbed his keys. 

He would drop Missouri off as fast as possible and then get back to Sam. 

And then he would kill Sam for pulling this shit on him.

After he made sure that Sam was fine.

God, he needed to _hurry!_


	13. Sam traps Vincent

_How did I get here?_

_I should be home by now._

_Each time you pull me back,_

_You seem to pull me down,_

_What the fuck is in this cup?_

_How did I drink so much?_

_I can't remember a thing..._

Sam bobbed his head to the beat of the overarching sound of the violins but the words of the song themselves were giving him ideas. With all the supernatural in their lives, sometimes they forgot about good ol' sleaze for dealing with undesirables.

_Baby I...would cry for you tonight..._

His mind flashed to Dean for a moment as the Jodeci interlude kicked in. His footsteps took him to the dark sleazy corner of the red light district where the drug dealers tended to gather. He was looking for a particular kind. He studied the faces of desperation, calling out no doubt sexy things to him as he walked.

_Sorry kids. I am so taken. And also, STDs._

He thought to himself with amusement before his eyes fell on just the guy.

"Hey" he called and the guy turned briefly to face him, allowing the underage kid he was trying to harass run down the alleyway, probably into the fire waiting now that he was away from the frying pan.

"You got roofies?" Sam asked and the guy looked at him in feigned shock.

"I beg your pardon?" he asked, non existent chin dropping while his eyes darted up and down Sam's six foot four frame.

"I said. Do you have roofies?" Sam asked again.

"What business is it of yo-" the guy amped up his fake outrage even as his hands trembled and his eyes darted about seeking escape from Sam's bulk, looming over him.

"Look man, I'm not the moral police. I'm just trying to score some roach. You got some or not?" Sam said, taking a step closer so he was literally towering over the thin little pedo.

"Uh...er...yeah I got...uh...just a bit...you know for uh..."

"Yeah I get it. For your insomnia right? How much for a couple of pills?" Sam interrupted impatiently.

"Twenty" the man said, his voice rising a bit at the end there like it might be a question.

Sam whipped out a wad of cash from his pocket causing the man's eyes to widen and picked one out with Harriet Tubman on it's face, "Twenty dollars. There ya go. Now gimme."

Pedo's mouth was open like maybe he wanted to raise his price but one look at Sam's face had him scrambling for his pockets and emerging with a packet. He spilled two pills into Sam's hand.

"Thank you. Pleasure doing business." Sam said with a nod.

"Uh...yeah...uh, thanks." the man said before shuffling away.

Sam took two steps away from him putting his earphones back in.

The dulcet tones of Led Zep blasted in his ears and he stopped, rolling his eyes with exasperation.

"Damn you Dean" he said under his breath before spinning around and widening his stride so it took him three steps to get behind the pedo. He reached between his legs and closed his hands around pedo's balls.

"Look" he said in a bored voice, "Personally I don't give a fuck what you do with your spare time but my husband would not like it if I let you go running after underage boys. So I gotta ask you to stop otherwise I just might have to take your balls with me." He let his claws lengthen just a bit, digging into the sensitive skin beneath pedo's balls, drawing blood and causing the man to tense.

"I...I won't" he whimpered, holding his body absolutely still.

"And how do I know that buddy?" Sam asked still with the perfectly friendly, uninvolved, bored tone.

"I...give you my word! _Please_!" the man was practically crying.

Sam gave his balls a particularly hard squeeze. The man emitted a high pitched sound that might have been a scream if he had the voice to articulate his fear.

"Listen, I'm gonna believe you" Sam said letting his balls go, "But I'll keep an eye out. If you so much as go smelling after some underage dick, I'm coming for yours. We clear?" he asked.

"Y-y-yes!!" the man said nodding his head frantically and waddling away from Sam, all hunched over with pain.

"Good man." Sam said and lifted his hand in a salute, "Hope I don't see ya around."

"Yeah bye." the man said still shuffling away as fast as he could.

Sam turned with a satisfied sigh. He had done what he could.

Time to go roofie a witch.

* * *

 

In the end it was remarkably easy to roofie Vincent. He was expecting an attack for sure. But the kind of attack he was expecting was of the hex/witch-killing bullet/attack in your bed type of thing. He wasn't expecting Sam to turn up at his door and confront him to his face.

"Look, Vincent. You and I need to talk" Sam said without preamble.

"About?"

"About your nefarious plans for Missouri, what else?"

Vincent stepped back and let him in, "What do you think we could possibly have to talk about?" he asked, "You don't honestly think you can change my mind, do you?"

Sam smiled, "Hey, I'm here to get my husband back. All that other noise, fuck it. But what you're doing? It's not helping me achieve my goals."

"You mean get your husband, who is your brother, back in your bed?" Vincent's mouth twisted with disgust, "I thought you had already got him to fuck you again."

Sam took a step forward, his teeth showing, "It's not just about sex Vinnie. It's about having him feel the same way about me that he did before. Before he found out what I did. You get that don't you?"

Vincent shrugged.

Sam looked around, "You got some coffee or something in here? Beer? I could use a drink."

Vincent went to his mini kitchenette, filled the kettle with water and put it to boil. 

"I'm surprised you'd want to eat anything made with my hands." he said.

Sam looked at him eyebrows raised, "No. You're right. How about _I_ make the coffee?"

he stepped into the kitchen as Vincent ceremoniously gestured for him to be his guest. He got two cups off the shelf, "You take sugar?" he asked Vincent as he reached for the packets.

"Of course. two packs for me."

Sam palmed four, putting two in Vincent's cup and two in his own as the witch watched. He poured in the hot water and coffee, and handed Vincent his cup.

"So, what are we going to do about this situation?" he asked the witch.

"I assume you have a proposal?" Vincent said and took a sip of his drink.

Sam shrugged, "I can't make a plan without knowing what you intend to do with the psychic."

"The psychic will open a portal between our worlds. She will also provide the psychic energy for my spell. I will also need your blood, and your brother's to complete the spell."

"All of it?" Sam asked.

"All of what?"

"All our blood."

Vincent smiled, "Would you believe me if I said no?"

Sam thought about it, "Probably not."

Vincent took a step closer. Sam took a sip of coffee and Vincent mirrored the action, "We could probably come to an...accommodation. The ancestors are impressed with your...skills."

"Oh yeah? What kind of accomodation?" Sam asked just as Vincent dropped his cup. And then he dropped to the floor, roofied out of his mind.

Sam studied him a moment, "Hmm. Okay then." he said. 

He picked Vincent Griffiths up, bound him with rope soaked in witchbane, also known as rue. 

He hung some rue on the doors and windows, and lined the room with salt and gooferdust jus to be thorough. He placed the witch in an iron lined box emblazoned with spells and runes of repelling. He chained it shut and then took a chair and sat down in front of it, gun loaded with witch killing bullets in his hand.

He didn't think he had neutralized the witch at all. He didn't really need to do that. He just needed to buy Dean time, to get Missouri to safety.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love this Sam. He's sooo bad.


	14. Journey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What's real? What's not?

The banging woke him up. He jumped to his feet, absolutely _incredulous_ at himself for having fallen asleep. He aimed the gun at the chest at his feet when he realized that the banging was coming from the door.

"Sam!" A very familiar voice said from the other side and Sam hurried forward to open the door. His hand was on the handle when he hesitated. 

"How do I know it's you?" he asked.

"Sam, open the door." Dean said.

Sam hesitated, hand still on the door. To open or not to open?

"Sam? I said open. the. door. Now!" Dean said.

Sam took his hand off the door and stepped away.

"He would want me to be careful. He wouldn't want me to just open the door without verifying that it was really him on the other side." Sam said, taking another step back.

"Sam, you're paranoid. It's me. You know me. Open the door. Open it Sam."

"Pick the lock. Come in. "Sam said checking to see that the salt and goofer dust still covered the entire length of the doorway. That the horseshoe still hung on the door, "Come in if you can." he said not loud enough for anyone human to hear from outside the door.

"You know I can't do that Sam. The door's locked." Dean said.

Sam sat back on the chair, his look divided between the door and the chest. 

"Sam!" Dean shouted from outside, making him jump.

* * *

 

Dean was applying every bit of defensive driving he knew, Missouri latching onto her seat with everything she had. Humongous craters tended to open up suddenly on the highway as they drove and it was a testament to his driving abilities that they hadn't yet sunk into one. Dean spared a millisecond to bemoan the fact that Baby hadn't been able to make the trip through dimensions with them. He could have used their psychic link right about _now_.

Something exploded in the road in front of them, creating asphalt shrapnel that was whizzing every which way including some heading straight for their windscreen. Dean turned the wheel 90 degrees, spinwheeling the car and zooming off road, headed who knew where. 

Missouri sat frozen, eyes open, looking terrified when Dean glanced at her.

"Can you do anything about this?" he shouted over the noise of the ground shaking beneath them.

Missouri gave him an incredulous look.

"Maybe shield us or something?" Dean suggested.

Missouri stared at him for a moment then closed his eyes, face scrunched up. Dean drove. One eye on the path ahead, and the other on Missouri. The ground suddenly stopped shaking under their feet and the way smoothened out. 

Dean opened his mouth to ask what was happening and then closed it again. He put pedal to the metal and _drove_.

Three hours later, they were on the outskirts of LA and closing in on Missouri 2.0. She had called as they reached the outer city limits, saying she was expecting them. And that they should keep to the back roads.

"How did you...what did you...?" Dean asked.

"How did I stop them? I didn't. I just closed my eyes, pictured my aura clearly and made it spread to cover the entire car. For some reason, they can't see me."

"They can't see you?"

"Or they can't track me. Not really sure how it works."

"Okay so...this other Missouri, is she safe? Do you...can you tell?"

"She doesn't want the same thing the ancestors want. That's all."

"Will I be able to get back to Sam?"

"They'll try to stop you."

"Mmm." Dean said.


	15. Missouri vs. Missouri

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a conversation is had.

Missouri 2.0 was waiting for them _inside_  a little tide pool by the Pacific Ocean. Dean drove  right up to the sand and then called her. 

"Come down to the water." she said.

"Okay. Where exactly?" Dean asked.

"Just come down, you'll see me."

Dean looked at Missouri lifting his eyebrows.

She shrugged back at him and he took that as agreement. They both exited the vehicle and walked down to the water's edge where they spotted Missouri 2.0 in the tide pool.

"Hey." Dean said cautiously, wondering if the witch had gone crazy.

"Come in." the witch called.

"Why?" Dean asked not really wanting to take his shoes off or, you know, get wet.

"Because water and salt repel magic dumbo. Now you want to be safe or you want to be dry?" Missouri 2.0 asked. Missouri bent down and took her shoes off and then lifted her dress and stepped in the water. Dean sighed in resignation, took his boots off, rolled up his jeans and got in the pool.

"So? What's up?"

"We have a big problem."

"Yeah we do."

"How do we fix it?"

"I was hoping you could tell us."

"Aren't you the mighty hunters?"

"Yeah well, predicting what a bunch of dead witches might do seems more your area."

"A bunch of dead witches yeah, these crazy mothers? nah."

"The thing we have to figure out is...what do they want?"

"We?"

"You're just as culpable...if not more...as we are. Your people did the spell in the first place."

"Yeah. We did.  We did it to find a home that was safe. Safe from all of this."

"What made you volunteer to stay?"

"Somebody had to watch you. I drew the short straw."

"So...about these ancestors..."

"I can give you hex bags that will hide you from them. For a while. But you and your brother need to figure this out. Fast."

"You're all heart fake Missouri."

"Thanks. Now take your bags and go fix this."

"You'll keep Ms. Moseley safe?"

"But of course."

"Good. Then I guess I'll see you on the other side."

"Good luck Dean."


	16. Drive Angry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gotta get back to Sam.

Dean took off like his ass was on fire and his hair was catching.

If the ancestors were after his ass, they were also after Sam. And his brother and father of his children, might be a super strong cold ass android hybrid motherfucker, but he was only one man. And if Vincent got out...

Dean cut that thought off...and drove faster.

The journey back was free of impromptu earthquakes or exploding asphalt. Which was a relief because ain't nobody had time fa dat.

Dean careered into the hotel parking lot exactly 24 hours after he'd left it and found the door to their room was caved in...and the room was empty.

The rest of the hotel seemed to be running like normal. Nobody seemed to have noticed or seemed to care about the massive amount of damage that had been done to hotel property. The inside of the room looked like a hurricane had hit; or maybe a bomb exploded.

The only thing keeping Dean on his feet was the fact that there was no blood. And no body. Sam was still alive.

Why would they take his body if he wasn't?

 _'Maybe there was no body left to take.'_ the insidious voice of doubt whispered in his ear but he physically pushed it away. 

His brother was alive.

He was sure of it.

If he had been dead, then Dean would have felt it.

Would have felt a seismic shift in his psyche that would have said to him, 'you're alone now. Your soulmate is gone.'

But he hadn't felt it, so it hadn't happened, so Sam was alive.

All he had to do was find him.

 _'Oh is that all? Should be easy then.'_ that snarky voice, which sounded ironically like Sam, said again. 

"Shut up." Dean said aloud and then began to search for clues.

"Come on Sam, you gotta have left me something." he said eyes searching everywhere. 

A chair was overturned next to a chest large enough to fit a humanoid shape. The chest was empty. Dean leaned in taking a sniff. His nose wasn't as good as Sam's maybe but it hadn't let him down yet. 

Urine.

A musky smell that might be the remnants of sweat in close spaces for too long.

Someone had been in the chest. Probably Vincent.

Which meant Sam had been in the chair. His eyes traced the path from the chair to the door. Goofer dust and salt, disturbed, a horse shoe discarded. Iron skillet on the floor as if thrown by massive force. Sam had tried to repel something that came in, overpowered him and took him.

Ransom.

Sam was probably a hostage; held in lieu of Missouri.

He didn't need anyone to spell out the terms to him. Give us the psychic, get your brother back.

Dean sat down heavily on the floor, head in his hands thinking about his kids.


	17. Glamour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There he is!

Sam watched his brother sitting on the floor, hand clutching his hair like he wanted to tear it out by the roots. He inclined his head to the side, studying Dean.

"You really do love me, don't you? Even after everything." he mused. He tried to wriggle about, testing the boundaries of his bonds. He could not so much as move a shoulder. 

"Dean!!" he shouted. His brother was less than a foot away from him and he could not hear him at all. Whatever this glamor was, it was strong as fuck.

"Dean!" he tried again.

Vincent sighed, "You never give up, do you? Just agree to our terms and you can go to your brother. Nobody has to get dead. Everyone gets what they want. Come _on_ Sam." the witch leaned in close to Sam's head as if he could compel him to do as Vincent wanted if he was just. close. enough.

Sam spit in his face and Vincent jerked back wiping at his cheek with a disgusted look on his face.

"All of this is so unnecessary." he complained.

"If it's so unnecessary, let me go."

"Now Sam, you know I can't do that."

"What do you guys gain from chaos huh Vincent? Is it some kind of profit? Because I have money, just name your price."

Vincent laughed out loud, throwing his head back and really letting the sound fill the room. Sam looked at Dean, hoping he could hear at least some dim echo of that sound.

"You think we do this for money? You're so way off base it's ridiculous."

"Then what? Huh? Tell me."

"You negotiating with me boy?" Vincent asked his eyes gleaming with otherworldly light.

"I'm trying to get to my brother. What I gotta do to do that?"

"You know what Sam Winchester. You know."

Sam shook his head, "No. I can't. Not again. I can't do that to him again. I can't make him forgive me for unforgivable things. Not one more time. Ask me anything else."

"He doesn't have to know it was you, Sam."

But Sam was shaking his head quite quite vigorously, "The answer is no Vincent or whatever you are. If that's my only option then kill me. I'd rather die than betray my brother again."

Vincent and whatever else was living in his eyes sighed, bowing his head in sorrow, "That is unfortunate Sam. Very unfortunate." he said.


	18. The Kids

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean figures stuff out.

Dean walked out of the room looking around at all the people _not_ freaking out around the hotel. He looked back at the hotel room eyes narrowed. Then back at the people walking around, going about their business, kicking the coke dispenser, checking in, getting luggage from cars...

 _Something_ was going on here; something other than the obvious that is.

He fished out his phone and called home.

"Hey, Genevieve. How are the kids doing?" he said.

"Good sir. We were just getting ready to go to the zoo. Jupiter wanted to see the monkeys."

"That sounds wonderful. So they're okay? Not missing us too much?"

"Weeellll, I wouldn't say that. They ask me every night when Daddy will come back. They talk about you're the only one who knows how to read the stories with the voices. And they even talk about Papi too." 

Dean smiled wistfully, "Are they close? Can I talk to them?"

"Yeah of course. JUPITER! JASMINE!" Dean put the phone far from his ear as Genevieve shouted into it. He winced a bit as she listened to the housekeeper shout for the kids.

"Daddy! Daddy!" he heard them faintly and put the phone back to his ears, "Heeeyy! And how are my little munchkins?"

"We miss you, Daddy. Come home!" Jupiter yelled in Dean's ear making him wince again. He didn't move the phone from his ear though.

"I know munchykins, I want to come home right now. But I gotta get Papi first."

"Where is he?" Jasmine asked.

"Uh...he's uh, he's away from me right now, but I'm gonna get him back and then we'll be home okay?"

"Okay, daddy. But hurry up!" Jupiter shouted.

"Yes, Jupiter ten-four."

"That means right away right?" Jupiter said with a cute little giggle.

"Yes, Jup. It means right away."

"Okay then daddy. see you soon. Muuuuuaaaaahhhh!" Jupiter said making kissing sounds.

"I wanna kiss daddy too!" Jasmine's voice cut in and then there were sounds of a scuffle.

"Hey, kids? KIDS!" Dean tried to cut in to the fighting to no avail.

"Jupiter! Jasmine!" He said using is dad voice. The sounds of arguing stopped.

"Yes, daddy?" Jasmine said.

"No fighting," Dean said.

"Okay daddy." the twins said.

"Bye now.I'll see you soon."

"Bye Daddy!" they both shouted.

Dean switched off his phone with another wince. He stuffed it in his pocket and then turned back to the room. The door was still askew, furniture all over the place. A hotel maid was wheeling her laundry container past the door without so much as a glance at the chaos inside. 

Dean frowned.

He picked up a canister of salt, walked to the door of the room and threw it in the air. It flew up and forward and then just seemed to stop, dropping to the floor in a perfect line. Dean stared at it thoughtfully then walked in the room, stepping across the line the salt made and then back the other way. He repeated the gesture again, first one side of the salt, and then the other.

He turned around in the room slowly, really looking. 

"Sam?" he called, "You still here?"


	19. Sacrifice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> trade-offs are negotiated.

"The clock is ticking Sam Winchester. If your brother breaks through the glamor....then everybody dies." Vincent or whatever was possessing him said.

"You need us to get Missouri back." Sam Winchester countered.

The Vincent Thing laughed, "You think we can't find her?"

"You need us too. For the spell. Or did you forget you told me that?" Sam asked with a laughing sneer. Vincent's eyes glowed red with his anger.

"We don't need you... _alive_." it said leaning close to Sam's ear.

"Maybe...but I'm bettin' you need us willing or the bet's off. Amirite?" Sam grinned obnoxiously. Suddenly he understood why Dean adopted this act so much. It was fun pushing people's buttons and acting like your world wasn't crashing down around your ears...it didn't matter. He would not allow them to kill Dean. He would destroy them all before that happened. If they didn't know that by now, they deserved to be surprised.

"You've glamored this room, locked me on this chair...but I'm guessing you've also locked yourself in here with me. Haven't you?"

Vincent sneered, "Unlike you however, I have the key."

"Do you? Walk out then. Get Dean. Hold him hostage. You know that's the best way to get me to do anything. So why don't you do it?"

Vincent was silent.

Sam sneered.

"You can't do it, can you? You can't _touch him_."

"He is protected by the blood of your sacrifice." a chorus of voices definitely not Vincent said.

Sam stared at the Thing in stupefaction, his mouth open. It had just been a wild guess.

"You mean like Harry Potter was?" he asked. Somewhere in the back of his mind he could hear Dean's snort as he called him a nerd. The Vincent Thing looked at him in contempt.

"The witches took the sacrifice you offered and created a spell. The bargain they made with you was to protect Dean. That was the onus of your deal. So the spell's primary function was to protect your brother in return for your earth. The protection holds."

Sam stared at the ground, nodding his head in understanding, "And why are you explaining this to me again?"

"If you ask us a question, we answer."

Sam stared at the Vincent Thing, "And if I ask you - nicely - to leave us alone, could you do that?" 

Vincent laughed.

"Just because we answer your questions does not mean we do your bidding."

"So what are you trying to do?"

"Show you that your brother will not be harmed. So there is no reason why you can't help us."

Sam stared at it. Then he heard Dean's voice again.

"Sam? Are you here?"

"Yes, Dean, I'm here." Sam said to his brother who was no more than half a foot away from him.

"Sam?" Dean said again.

"Dean," Sam replied eyes yearning toward his brother.

Dean turned slowly examining the room. He picked up a piece of wood, sharpened at the edge from where it broke off the door frame, examining it. He took the holy water and drenched the piece of wood in it, and then coated it with salt.

"Sam?" he called.

"He can't hear me. Why?" Sam asked.

Vincent and his guests were silent.

Dean took the stick thrusting it forward through the barrier outlined by the line of salt on the floor. There was a shimmer.

"Goddamit." he said, "Sam if you're here, help me out. I know you know how to break this. Search in that nerdy Sasquatch head of yours and come up with an answer." 

Sam frowned pondering Dean's words. Did he know how to break this?

"You cannot," Vincent said at once.

Sam studied him, "Okay then. I'll do it. Let me up." he said.

Vincent stared at him. 

"You'll do it?"

"Yes."

"I will need your word. in blood."

"You have it." Sam said.

The Vincent Thing nodded and suddenly Sam could move again, he stood up, towering over the warlock.

"Here's my deal, you bind your life to mine. If I die, you die. Dean is protected by my sacrifice but I'm wide open." Sam said.

Vincent smiled, "Now there's the selfish son of a bitch we all know and love. My life will be bound to yours for the duration of this spell only. After that, the bond is broken."

"Deal."

Vincent took his hand and slashed it open, tipping it over his scrying bowl so he could drop into it. Vincent then took his own hand and added his blood to the mixture. He sprinkled in a few other ingredients and then said the spell. The blood was bubbling, a red light growing as he said the words. Then everything exploded and they were both covered with a strange purple goo which got absorbed into their skin, leaving no trace behind.

"Done," Vincent said.

"Really? Allow me to test that theory?" he said then stepped forward and wrapped his hands around Vincent's neck. He squeezed, choking off the warlock's air. 

"Ack..." Vincent said clawing at Sam's hands. Sam squeezed until he could see black spots in front of his own eyes, his own lungs burning with the lack of oxygen. He didn't have to let Vincent go because his hands dropped of their own accord.

"Huh....looks like it works." he said between heaving breaths.

"So....trusting," Vincent whispered hands cradling his throat.

"Sam!" Dean shouted and rushed forward kneeling down next to his brother and clutching his arms, "Are you alright?"

Sam was glad to see that even in his agitation he hadn't dropped the makeshift spear. 

His brother.

The warrior.

Love of his life.

Sam looked up at him and smiled, "I'm great Dean." he said eyes dropping to his brother's kissable lips. His hands lifted up, and traced Dean's mouth lovingly, "Good to see you." he said.

Dean glanced up at Vincent, who was standing in the corner watching them.

"Yeah, it's good to see you too but let's save the reunion sex for later?" he said eyes still on Vincent. Sam took hold of his chin, pulling him in and kissing him hard.

"I love you." he said.

"I love y-"

Sam grabbed the wooden spear and jabbed it through his neck.

And then there was pandemonium.


	20. Hey God, It's Me Dean.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean gets hysterical.

Dean could hear screaming. The room had filled with an inexorable gray smoke and there were voices in it; agaitated voices, seemingly arguing as the smoke moved upwards then downwards then side to side as if seeking escape. Vincent lay dead on the floor and someone was screaming Sam's name.

Dean clutched the cooling body beneath him, wooden spear preventing it from lying flat on the floor. He was draped at an uncomfortable angle head bent in a way incompatible with life. Dean straightened him out, laying him flat on his back. 

Carefully.

Very carefully.

Sam's hazel eyes were dimming to a muddy brown as he stared sightlessly at the ceiling.

Dean realized dimly he was the only living thing in the room, and so it must be him who was screaming.

His vision was blurry and he could not feel his hands or feet. His eyes closed refusing to see what was in front of him.

His brother dead on the floor.

"Sam!"

He heard the words as if he was underwater hand shaking as he tried to lift his brother up, maybe shake him. This could not be happening. 

"Sam....please." he begged, voice shaking. 

But Sam just lay there, skewered on a wooden stick like world's most bizarre kebab.

"Why did you do this Sam?" he asked the prone body beneath him, his tears bathing Sam's face.

"You know why he did this Dean, to save you."

It took a while for Dean to register that there was someone else in the room. Someone who had spoken to him.

He looked up slowly, eyes disbelieving.

"Chuck?"

The Prophet was seated on the desk, leg swinging casually, looking curiously at home in all the mess.

"Hi." Chuck said and smiled, "Crazy sitch you guys got yourself into here huh?"

Dean's mouth stayed open and he continued to stare at the writer as if subtitles would appear and explain to him what the man was doing in this room, at this time.

"Did the angels send you?" he asked at last.

Chuck laughed, "No. Nobody sent me."

"Then...what...?" Dean asked then looked back down at Sam's still sightless eyes. What did it matter if Chuck was here or not? Sam was dead.

Dead.

Dean fell forward, head landing on Sam's chest and let himself despair.

Chuck got off the desk and came to squat next to them on the floor, studying Sam. He reached out, running a hand through Sam's brown hair.

"Oh, Sam...he reminds me so much of my Lucifer. They have so much in common you know? Rebellious, too clever by half, single-minded, determined, possessive, immature, insecure...but then Sam. Oh Sam Sam I am, he took what he was given and exceeded expectations with it." Chuck said. He looked at Dean.

"And that's because of you Dean. You did a good job with this one. You were a better father than I ever was."

Dean just continued to lie on Sam's non-breathing chest in a semi-fugue state.

"A father always wants his children to do better than he did you know? To be better. And you were. You both were. You have retaught me the meaning of love."

Dean lifted his head, awareness coming slowly back into his eyes, "What do you mean by 'a father' Chuck?" he asked, gaze sharpening by the second.

Chuck shrugged and opened his mouth to answer but Dean got there before he could.

"And what do you mean by _my_ Lucifer Chuck?" Dean was practically growling.

"God's best beloved they called him." Chuck said, "The one I loved the most."

"Was he?" Dean said slowly sitting up as he realized what Chuck was saying.

Chuck shrugged, "I love all my children, Dean. Some just need more attention than others." he lifted His Eyes and pierced Dean with His Glance, "I'm sure you know something about that, don't you my child?"

"Don't call me that," Dean said.

"What? My child? Well, you are."

"So...you're...god?"Dean said slowly.

Chuck shrugged as if to say, 'what can I say? yes, I am.'

"If you're God then-"

Chuck stopped him with a raised finger, "Ah ah Dean. I'm not taking any 'bring my brother back' requests this evening. That song has been sung."

Dean's face fell, his throat worked desperately, " _Please_ " he said, "I can't...don't make me live without him."

Chuck sighed, "I feel your pain, Dean. And for sure my heart is warmed by your brother's sacrifice. But to bring him back Dean? Again? When does it stop?"

"Please. This will be the last time. I promise."

"Don't make promises you can't keep Dean."

Dean's head flopped onto Sam's chest again, "Please, please, please, please, please," he chanted, his dead brother's shirt getting sopping wet with his tears.

Chuck sighed, "Oh Dean, you both have such one track minds." he said sadly.

"Why are you here?!?" Dean asked lifting his head from Sam's chest to glare at Chuck suddenly, "why did you even come?"

"It was the love of the sacrifice from one such as Sam. It attracted me like a beacon to this place. Your brother has consecrated this ground with what he did. It will be a place of miracles."

"Starting with the miracle of his resurrection?" Dean begged voice thick with phlegm.

Chuck laughed with delight, "You are relentless." he said and snapped his fingers.

Suddenly sirens were blaring and two EMTs were rushing into the room and pushing Dean aside to drop at Sam's feet.

One of them reached down to listen to Sam's chest, and sat up and shouted for a fibrillator.  Dean was wedged into a corner staring as they attempted to jump start Sam's heart.

"Clear!" one of the EMTs shouted and Dean closed his eyes as the scent of burned flesh reached his nostrils. 

"I have a heartbeat!" someone shouted and then they were putting him on a gurney and wheeling him out.

"Wait, I'm riding with you." Dean said stumbling after it. 

"Are you..." the EMT began to ask.

"He's my...husband" Dean said and the EMT ushered him in.

 


	21. Hospital

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam is not well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the record, I tried to make Chuck heal him outright but he just wouldn't.

"Mr. Winchester?" Dean lifted his head from 

Dean lifted his head from his hands and looked up at the white-coated figure peering down at him inquiringly.

"Yeah?" he said, voice hoarse.

He'd been huddled in that waiting room chair all night and it showed.

"We have some news. About your husband." White Coat said.

Dean stood up, staring silently at the doctor. He could not bring himself to ask.

"He's turned the corner in the last hour. If he survives another 24 hours we will be able to move him from ICU to HDU. You should probably go home."

Dean shook his head, "Can I see him?"

The doctor shook his head, "We don't really allow visitors at this juncture. You can have a look at him through the glass if you like. But I really would advise you to get home, rest and hopefully be able to see him tomorrow. He's strong and he's fighting hard. All you can do now is pray."

Dean snorted, "Yeah. Tried that already," he murmured following the doctor down the hall. He was required to wear covers on his shoes, a face

He was required to wear covers on his shoes, a face mask, and hair covering in order to enter the ICU. Even then, all he could do was stand behind a glass barrier and watch Sam struggle for life. There was a huge white bandage around his neck except where a tube had been inserted to take oxygen straight to his lungs. Which meant that there had been some obstruction to breathing either before, during or after surgery. Sam looked dead.

If it wasn't for the steady beep beep beep from the heart monitor, Dean would have thought Sam'd expired.

Again.

He shuddered, his mind full of Sam's blankly staring eyes and unmoving chest in that hotel room.

He had _been_ dead, no doubt.

Which meant that Chuck...or god, whatever, had done what? brought him back just enough for him to maybe have half a chance? As miracles went, Dean was not impressed.

He didn't want to think about Sam dying for him.

It was too much.

He could not.

The body on the bed twitched and Dean jerked in sympathy.

"Is he...?" he asked.

"It's a knee-jerk reaction; unconscious. He's not aware." White Coat said.

"Oh." 

He watched for a few more minutes.

"You need to go now Mr. Winchester. If anything changes with your husband we will notify you at once."

Dean nodded.

There was no way he was going home.

But there was bound to be a motel nearby.

He'd book a room, and wait.


	22. Consciousness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean gets a 4 am wake up call.

"Mistuh Winchestuh?"

The exaggerated southern drawl on the line had him sitting up in bed, awake and alert. He'd picked up his ringing phone, eyes still closed purely from muscle memory.

"Yeah who's this?" he asked.

"Hope General Hospital. We wanted to let you know that your husband is awake."

"He is?"

"Yes suh."

"Can I see him?"

"He's asking for you."

"I'll be right there."

Dean leapt out of bed, grabbing his jacket. He'd fallen asleep in his jeans and shirt and so all he had to do was slip his shoes on and he was ready to go. The hospital was less than five minutes away and it was 4 am in the morning so he got there in one.

It was strange stepping in the hospital after the eerie quiet of pre-dawn outside. It seemed to be just as busy as any other time of day and Dean was able to walk past reception and find the ICU without being stopped.

"Suh?" a familiar voice called from behind him and he turned around to see a tall blonde man dressed in nurse's scrubs, smiling inquiringly at him, "Can I help yuh?" he asked.

"I'm Dean Winchester. My...husband just woke u-"

"Ah yes." the nurse stepped forward holding out his hand, "I'm the one that called you. Nurse Stein at your service. Come right this way, we were just preparing to move him to HDU."

"So he's alright? Through the worst?"

Nurse Stein merely turned his face away and quickened his steps so that Dean was obliged to make an effort to keep up with him. He wasn't too reassured about Sam's condition by the nurse's wilful silence but he knew Sam better than these people. He would not give up unless he had to. _And he didn't have to._

"Dean" 

He looked up at the whispered voice, realising that they had arrived at Sam's room at some point during his musings. Sam's eyes were open and he was staring at Dean as if unable to believe his eyes, "You're alright?" he asked as if it was _Dean_ that stabbed himself through the neck. Dean didn't know if he wanted to kiss him or stab him again.

"Of course I'm alright idiot. And when you're better I owe you an ass whupping just so you know." Dean grumbled.

Sam's face lit up and he smiled one of his 'I'm a five-year-old in a giant's body' smiles. One of the irresistible ones. Dean wanted to smile back but he was also mad as hell.

"Why do you insist on killing yourself every time I turn my back for one second?" he growled instead.

Sam's smile widened, dimples on full display and then dimmed, "Dean you didn't...make a deal?" he whispered, his voice almost non-existent and hoarse with it.

"What?"

"How am I...?" Sam's eyes said the rest.

Dean's expression was wry once he understood what Sam was asking, "Turns out Chuck is a little more than just a prophet.." he said.

Sam continued to look at him like, 'go on...'

"He's uh...he's God."

Sam's eyebrows shot up.

"I know." Dean said with a soundless laugh, "crazy huh?"

Sam rolled his wrist in a 'continue' gesture.

"Well anyway, he brought you back to life...but apparently didn't _heal_ you. So here we are."

Sam's brow furrowed in confusion.

"Yeah, that's what I said."

Sam's face softened in that way from way back when they were only brothers. Though...saying 'only' made it seem less than they were now.

It wasn't.

Sam had looked at him then as if Dean was his whole world. The way he was looking at him now...just because Dean could read his face without him having to talk. It filled him with a mixture of sadness and joy to think of that Sam, having nothing but his stupid big brother to cling to and still making it work. Making Dean better than he ever could have been on his own. Giving him a reason for living.

"You're my reason for living you know?" he found himself saying without meaning to.

Sam's hand slowly rose and banged down on his chest twice.

_Me too Dean. Me too._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't mean for this to be the last chapter in this work but apparently, it is. The muse says so.   
> I do suspect though, that like the Terminator, they'll be back.


End file.
